


Bulletproof

by wheezyy



Series: Spotlight [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Idols, Idol!Jongin, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29753376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheezyy/pseuds/wheezyy
Summary: a misunderstood video that got everyone hating on Kyungsoo, it might or it REALLY MIGHT affect their relationship.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Series: Spotlight [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2152257
Kudos: 13





	Bulletproof

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome to another story that I made at 2 am :D

Jongin was named as the “Good Boy” in the industry, and it’s not the personality his company had dubbed for him. But because that is his true persona and that was everybody around him has been telling. The make up artists that worked with him are gushing on social media sites telling everyone how the Kim Kai took care of them, and talked to them as if they were Kai’s closest friends. Stylists who were really grateful Kai never got mad nor annoyed when one of them fucked up in one photoshoot. His dancers who had admired his perseverance to perfect his dance, one of them even said that Kai sometimes let them rest for a while while he practiced on his own. 

Not just that, photographs of him being affectionate towards his guards made everyone’s heart squeal with giddiness. Hugging them after hopping out of cars, laughing with them while they let sites take photos of him. One video that really proved Kai’s goodness, as if it was needed at this point, was that on one overseas schedule he was caught buying jackets for his bodyguards. 

Pre-debut photos and stories of his batchmates from high school, further proved that Kim Jongin is really that one of a kind person who every girl and even man wants for themselves. Aside from his actions, he really has a way with words that touches everyone’s hearts, uplifts their down spirits every time. He is a really lovable, kind, and overall good boy that everyone wants to protect him.  Not once did Kim Jongin fake his personality to gain everyone’s approval, faking is not just in his vocabulary. The Kim Jongin he let the world see, is the Kim Jongin his closest friends see. Maybe that is one of the reasons he’s radiating this good boy aura that everybody fell in love with, he’s not faking it. You could feel the intensity of sincerity on his words, on his actions, in his performance, and to every job he does. 

But of course not everyone is pleased to see his face on every possible product, hear his voice to radios even on subways. There is still a portion of people who are annoyed by his presence and Jongin knows that. He experienced it of course being in the industry for 9 years. He had seen it in his co-workers and some careers even ended just because of that. 

\--

Being an idol, a successful idol at that, his schedules were packed especially having recently his comeback. He’s on his last week of promotion and he’s extremely tired. But he’s happy to say, happy to see his fans, and to hear their enthusiastic chant of his name, and basically feel their support. He feels really grateful for them, as if it wasn’t for the support he probably wouldn’t get to where he is right now, given the fact that there is a lot of competition around him. 

But he likes to believe that he and his fans are a team working together, he works hard for them, they worked hard for him.  He builds himself for them, but sometimes they will also break him. Inevitable, but is possible. 

Days after his month-long local promotion with his new album, Jongin is enjoying his rest in his apartment. Switching from sleeping, eating delivered foods, watching shows on his television. The Kim Jongin spends his time like that, since going out exhausts the heck out of him. 

Not until the 3th day of his rest, that he remembered someone whom he had not seen nor called for at least 2 months now. Being busy with preparing for his album the past months he has no time and energy to contact and catch up with someone. But now his time is basically in his hands for 2 weeks, he called him. 

“Are you free?” he said as soon as the call was picked up. 

“Are you gonna pay me?” Kyungsoo instantly replied, dead cold serious. 

“I will how much do you need?” he said already removing his current shirt to change into something decent. 

“A pizza and some fries, sounds really filling?” Kyungsoo replied with a sigh. 

“Are you working? Plus I gotta ask you something about your schedule too.” Jongin fixed his satchel bag, the bag he uses every time he’s going out without his trusty manager on his side. 

“I am. Okay, where?” 

“The one near your work, I’ll bring my car. See you there.” 

“Take care.” Jongin dropped the call before he left his house to drive to his  _ friend’s  _ workplace to spend some time with him. 

He hasn’t seen Kyungsoo since the last few months, they haven’t texted either, well they did but that was just Jongin sending a confirmation email that he had already paid. But the texting to tell each other’s day didn't really happen since both were busy with their own shits, aka life, Jongin is excited to see his  _ good friend.  _

He entered the restaurant and he instantly spotted Kyungsoo seated on the chair in front of the glass wall, overlooking the road where the shop is located. He cocks his eyebrow in confusion since it is new for him to sit on a table where an abundance of sunlight could hit him, plus the possibility of people seeing him. 

He walks up to his friend, running his hands on Kyungsoo’s back affectionately, a gesture they were both familiar with.  Kyungsoo looked up to him, offered a small smile before he removed his bag on the chair beside him to let Jongin sit. 

“Why are you sitting here?” Jongin asks the man right away, Kyungsoo circles his hand around the restaurant to see that the eatery is indeed packed and this was the only available spot. Why did he not notice it the moment he stepped in? Jongin did not know.

“Have you been resting well? Why did you want to meet me today? You should just have used this to rest. You should be sleeping Jongin, not asking me to meet up. Not that I don’t want us to meet, but you should have let your body get back what it lost after the--” 

One time Jongin was asked in an interview how or where his energy of uplifting everyone’s spirit is coming. Jongin that time, just smiled, because what is he supposed to answer? He’s just like that. But now, hearing Kyungsoo basically scold him, cutely at that, on how he should just be resting, he knows his answer. 

He receives some much love, and care from one person that it is enough to make Jongin feel loved, and he could also share a portion of it to others who also love him. 

“Okay, okay, I will. After this, I’ll sleep.” he replied just to make hsi friend at ease. 

“I’ve ordered, just pay me.” Jongin’s is fully facing the glass wall, looking at cars that pass by them, while Kyungsoo’s body is facing Jongin’s side. 

Jongin laughs, knowing what this ‘pay me’ really means, “hug” he murmured to the man, Kyungsoo laughs too, “yeah. It’s cheaper than this meal.” he replies softly. 

Ahh, back to this talk again. 

"I told you, I’ll pay for your everything from now on did I? There’s no such thing as expensive and cheap on me when it comes to you Kyungsoo. You know that right?” Kyungsoo nods, but a frown and a pout is there. Jongin’s brow furrowed, frowning also. 

“Yeah, but I told you I can manage. Plus I don’t want to hear another fucking complain on my face again, I just want to eat my lunch in peace.” Kyungsoo grumbles, looking away from Jongin to calm his nerves.

“He’s bothering you again?” Jongin questioned the other man, a minute passed he still got nothing so he turned his body to face the man whose side was on his. He nudged the man’s foot using his own.

“Yah-Kyungsoo,” he called the man, this time the man successfully looked at him. 

“Yeah, again. Actually it’s the 3rd time this week. Why don’t you just support them, instead of me? I can support myself.” Kyungsoo said begrudgingly, looking upset. 

“Now why will I do that?” Jongin questions sharply. 

“Because they’re your family.” Jongin scoffs at his friend’s response. 

"Yeah family, they really acted like one, proud of them.” Jongin scoffed again, thinking about his “family”. 

“I’m serious Jongin, stop supporting me. That’s the last time you’re gonna pay for my tuition. You’ve done enough.” Kyungsoo looked at him, now they’re looking at each other. 

“Enough? Kyungsoo, that's not even the start. What are you saying? I thought we agreed to this.” 

“I know, now I’m not. Stop please, you’re not the one getting harassed at least twice a week by two men larger than you.” 

“They are? I can ask him to tell them to stop harassing you, Soo.” Jongin coaxes his friend, they stopped talking for a while to let the waiter put their food in front of them. 

“But will they really stop? Huh?” Jongin shakes his head no. 

“You should talk to them, support them, not me. And maybe they will stop.” Kyungsoo sighs, Jongin tries touching his friend’s arm, but Kyungsoo removes it from his reach. Obviously upset by their set up. 

“But I can’t talk to them Soo, you know that.” Jongin’s answer ticked something on Soo, that made him pick up his bag to put it over his body again. Jongin reached for his arms, now successful in holding him. 

“Soo, let’s fix this first.” 

“I will sit down again, if you promised to use your money to your family not to me.” Jongin looks at Kyungsoo, weighing his answer. 

Jongin is caught in the between. Like there’s no way out, if he chooses the way on his right, it will go into a fight with Kyungsoo, if the other side of the situation he’ll have to talk to his family. Both options that Jongin does not want to happen. With the lack of answer from him, Kyungsoo shakes his arm to remove Jongin’s grip from him. Before leaving the restaurant, the food he ordered, and Jongin. 

If he had to fight Jongin to stop him from doing something for him, he’d gladly do that. 

Jongin sighed looking at the man walking away from him, and back to the food Kyungsoo ordered for them. He sighs, they could have eaten this greasy food Kyungsoo loves but circumstances did not allow them. 

With a heavy heart, he called someone to have their food packed, maybe he could eat it at his home, if he ever found his appetite.

Jongin’s day passed by like a blur, with nothing but Kyungsoo and his family occupying his mind, and successfully making him feel restless towards the remaining of the day. 

\---

Kyungsoo and Jongin’s  _ good friends' relationship _ went back to when Jongin is nothing and all he has is his dreams, well he also has Kyungsoo on his side. Kyungsoo was the same man who stood by him when his family laughed at his dreams and called it ridiculous. The same man who supported him emotionally, morally, even financially. 

Back when Jongin and Kyungsoo were studying, they would look for multiple part time jobs for different but also the same reason. Jongin wants to save money for expenses when he has to audition, since going back and forth to the city is too much for a high schooler. Kyungsoo is saving money, well not for himself, but for Jongin. 

Kyungsoo saw how passionate Jongin is about his dream to become a singer, or an idol, when they were walking from school to their homes. He saw how Jongin is basically radiating while dreaming about becoming a singer that everybody will like, how his voice would be heard everywhere, his face to be seen on every possible poster ever. He also saw how Jongin’s parents disregarded their son’s dream, called him degrading names for having a dream that is ‘not attainable’,18 year old Kyungsoo wanted to smack the heck out of Jongin’s dad. 

That day after crying with Jongin outside a store about his family who is nothing but a piece of shits, Kyungsoo swore that he will help Jongin attain his dream. 

And so he did, he managed to support him and Jongin although out of Jongin's path before debuting. Jongin had no idea how they survived those years with no monetary support from their own family, with Jongin’s shit attitude and Kyungsoo’s always gone parents. Jongin also did not know how Kyungsoo managed to do that too, he had no idea how Kyungsoo worked for two people while studying on the side until 2nd year. 

That’s why Jongin is so adamant to pay for whatever Kyungsoo needs for his schooling, when the shorter man confides in him that he wants to go back to university, while still working on the side, but is still skeptical about it.  When Kyungsoo's the one in need of support, Jongin is willing to drop anything for this man, who made him who he is now. Jongin owes his everything to Kyungsoo. 

Jongin is still weighing things about how he should talk to his family, without talking to them directly. While changing into his casual clothes after hours long of photoshoot, his phone lit up from where it was perched on the chair, alerting him that the remaining balance for a school fee was paid by someone named Do Kyungsoo. 

Jongin did not wait to be inside his car to dial a number that he has not seen for years. 

The call got answered by his younger brother, a voice he has not heard since forever, since this voice and everyone else’s brings nothing but trauma to a soft hearted Kim Jongin. 

“Stop bullying Kyungsoo, please.” The man on the other line laughed, as if he found Jongin’s threat funny. 

“Why? You can pay for him, but not to your family? The Good Boy is not actually a good boy is he? Refusing to talk to his own family after he got well known? Wow the audacity Jongin, mom did not raise you to be an ungrateful kid.” Jongin gulps his salive multiple times, nervous about how their words still have an effect on him, after years. 

“Yes, mom did not raise to be someone like you, or someone like everyone else. I raised myself. You did not care about me all those years when we asked everyone for help, did you even bat an eye on me? Did you even listen to me?” Jongin breathed hard, holding his seatbelt tightly to calm his nerves. 

“Did you actually feel something in your heart when you called me useless? Now that I proved you wrong that I can be here, suddenly you’re my family? How fucked up is that?”

“Done with your drama? Just say you don’t want to give us money and--” 

“I don’t, I thought we’ve already established that?” He replied with a voice full of confidence, and hurt. 

“Fuck you, Jongin. Fuck you.” His brother ended the call. Jongin sighed, pushing back his tears that were threatening to fall. 

\---

Jongin’s mind is nowhere near on the song he’s working on. His mind is in the talk with his brother days ago, or maybe on Kyungsoo who he has not spoken to for almost a month now. 

He just wishes that his brother stopped harassing Kyungsoo on campus after that call, he did not even know how his brothers know that he is helping Kyungsoo. Or he did not even know that his brothers are studying at the same university as Kyungsoo. 

He just wanted to help Kyungsoo, give back to what he gave up years ago, but if he’s getting a negative impact on his innocent help, Jongin would comply. 

His family could talk shit about him for all he cared, he accepted that he has no family when they declined his call of help. He only has Kyungsoo now. And if somehow his  _ family  _ continues harassing his friend, he’ll have the law deal with it. 

Giving him trauma is enough, but to Kyungsoo? Jongin will not allow that. 

Knowing that he can’t focus on his song right now, he opens his phone to ask if his manager is free and maybe they could drive somewhere for fresh air. Before he could text his manager, a message came in, telling him to open his official sns on his phone to look at what was happening. 

Jonging did so, but fuck it, he thought that maybe looking at it is a bad move. He saw his name being mentioned multiple times, but under different situations he could have smiled, but no, along his name is Kyungsoo’s. 

Everybody seems to have something bad to say about Kyungsoo, which is an utter lie and Jongin will testify to that. His heart hurt after watching a multiple video of Kyungsoo, what  _ his fans _ claimed to be, a Kyungsoo taking advantage of Jongin’s good heart. 

Included in the video is what happened weeks ago, in the restaurant where they had their fight, the clip was obviously taken at a seat far from them, but perfectly making Kyungsoo the bad guy. Several clips of them hanging out outside with Kyungsoo’s cute antics that got everyone mad. 

_ I bet he’s using Jongin for his money.  _

_ Gold digger  _

And one clip that successfully ticked off Jongin’s patience is a clip of his younger brother shouting at Kyungsoo on what to be a garden, shouting how Kyungsoo, a mere friend is stopping Jongin from giving money to his own family because apparently Kyungsoo doesn’t like sharing. 

His fans, god his fans. His fans are throwing hate towards him, mostly to Kyungsoo. Hate that read somewhere between the lines that how cruel Jongin is, how bad of a person Kyungsoo is, how the Good boy is not really a good boy. 

News travels faster than the light, soon his name is on the headlines and Kyungsoo’s ‘bad attitude’. His agency called him into the office and after grueling hours of meeting, he had to basically share his personal life to give the management an idea how to help him and Kyungsoo. He hasn't even contacted Kyungsoo yet, but he knows the man is taking the bigger blame here, since a lot of people can’t really hate the good boy are they? 

24 hours in the office, the management let him decide how to address his issue, thankful for the utter support, they left him inside the office to have his privacy, closing the door behind them but not before pushing Kyungsoo inside. 

Kyungsoo, with a frown etched on his face, he pulled the man on his embrace caressing his back and hair lovingly whispering soft apologies. After a minute of silence just being inside each other’s warm embrace, the both of them sat but Jongin is just the one seen on the frame holding a beautiful small hand with his large one. 

His fans were shocked, surprised rather after the Kim Jongin addressed his issue, how he was hurt by the amount of hate words his lover, yes Jongin knew that they were going there so he used the term, received so much in a span of hours. How he told his fans that they should be grateful for Kyungsoo since Jongin owes everything to him. 

Jongin closed his live with a, “sometimes people will disregard you when you have nothing, but will be suddenly there when they need something from you. I don’t want that kind of person, I hope you do too. People are scary, be careful.” 

After the live, the management announced the halting of Jongin’s schedule until further notice. 

A week after Jongin’s hiatus he and Kyungsoo finally had a talk, cleared everything about them, even their status. Jongin is glad that he used the word, lover. He let his legal team deal with his family. 

Years after Jongin and Kyungsoo’s name is on the headlines again, this time the two announced their marriage and Jongin’s retirement. Ahhh life is good. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! if you have ~kind~ comments about how I made the characters, or about my writing style, feel free to comment it! I need tips on how to became a good writer <3


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